Comparative evaluation of antimicrobial effectiveness of probiotic milk and fluoride mouthrinse on salivary Streptococcus mutans counts and plaque scores in children - An in vivo experimental study.

AIM: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of probiotic milk and fluoride mouthwash on salivary Streptococcus mutans (SM) counts and plaque index (PI) scores in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty children of 8-13 years with zero decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft)/DMFT were randomly divided into two equal groups of 15 each; baseline saliva samples were collected, and plaque scores were recorded. Group A received probiotic milk and Group B received fluoride mouthwash for 7 days, and then, saliva samples were collected for colony counting, and plaque scores were recorded on the 8th day. STUDY DESIGN: This was a double-blind experimental in vivo study and randomized sample selection. RESULTS: The results showed that there was statistically significant reduction in both salivary SM counts and plaque scores in both the groups after 7 days period. Intergroup comparison showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (i.e., both groups are equally effective in caries reduction). CONCLUSION: Probiotic milk was as effective as fluoride mouthwash in reducing SM counts and PI scores.

Fibrolipoma on a Child's Lip: A Rare Clinical Finding.

Lipoma is very common benign tumor of adipose tissue, but its presence in the oral cavity is rare. Fibrolipoma is a histological variant of lipoma that affects the buccal mucosa and nasal septum in the orofacial region and causes functional and cosmetic issues. However, this lesion has not been reported on the upper lip and may be confused with other soft tissue lesions of children. Hence, accurate histopathological examination of lipomas is important for a correct treatment plan. The purpose of this report is to describe the case of an 11-year-old boy with fibrolipoma of the upper lip.

The Untold Story of Fluoridation: Revisiting the Changing Perspectives.

The discovery of fluoride in dentistry has revolutionized treatment modalities with a new aspect of prevention and conservation of tooth structure coming into foreplay. Since then, there has been a lot of research on both topical and systemic fluoridation in an overzealous attempt to control the most debilitating dental problem of caries. Although topical fluoride is still being widely used as a preventive measure for dental caries, systemic administration of the same has gained major criticism worldwide due to the low margin of safety of fluoride and no control over the amount of individual intake when administered on a community level. This problem is more prevalent in countries with presence of natural fluoride belts that extend from Turkey to China and Japan through Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan increasing the chances of both dental and skeletal fluorosis and hence increasing the focus toward defluoridation. This historical review highlights the distribution of fluoride worldwide and in India and also discusses about the various claims of the antifluoride lobby.